Peter understood what the unasked question would be, and he was glad it had remained unasked. It wasn't something he felt in any way that he could answer. He would tell Sarah about Jareth, of course. But he wasn't sure himself how she would feel about it.
The question asked mind to mind was a bit easier. It was harder to answer because of the content, but easier since it had to do with Peter himself.
Sometimes they are, he replied, his free hand now rubbing Toby's back. Sometimes they're not as bad, sometimes they're worse. But I'm not afraid of them, Toby. He hugged the boy tightly for a moment. That's why I do what I do. I know I can beat them, that I can stop them. I know that if I try hard enough, I'll win. That's why I can do the things I can do. To be one of the good guys. So that somewhere, there might be a boy making his sister some soup for dinner that won't have to worry about anything bad tonight. Because I'm here to make sure the bad guys stay away.